What do you do if you're struggling to find the right supply chain management software for your business?

According to me it’s not only about choosing a software but also about implementing and making it work. A software should be choosen based on two parameters: whether it offers industry’s best practices and secondly does it cater to the needs of the company. Further, Many a time we try to put all existing processes in SOW and expect software to imbibe on as is basis. This creates confusion and delays implementation. Requirements of users should be analysed and matched with the set of offerings in tandem with industry standards. This way the digitalisation would be fruitful in all aspects and will uplift all the standards.

When searching for a new application or software to manage a process or operations area I find it is very helpful to visit partners/customers/vendors who employ said software to see it in action. Many times in my career I have been involved in selection of a specific software or application and then later experienced it in action at a partner location and discovered things I would not have otherwise discovered. Talking with the users at those locations and asking what is 'good', what is 'bad' about the application. How do they like it? Does it help them be efficient? etc etc. Site visits are valuable. Go out there and see it firsthand.

I agree, however it’s important to have good basic processes in place and a good understanding of what you want the software to help to accomplish. I often hear/see people wanting to modify software to accommodate poor processes and practices. Start with out of the box functionality and basic processes.

Software doesn’t need to be best in breed. Software needs to provide the necessary functionality that allows you/your company to accurately and efficiently deliver your customer promise. Accurate paperwork/documentation, visibility to shipments, pricing with all the various discounts or surcharges. The supply chain is the “last stop” before the customer and your last opportunity to show your companies true culture towards customer service. If you build your ERP from the customer/market backwards you will have a true perspective of the gaps in your company culture and customer/market expectations. Make it work from end-to-end.

When struggling to select the right supply chain software, I go back and reassess our requirements list to understand what the market is offering vs. what we’re looking for in a system. Some of the questions I’d ask are: 1. Have we clearly identified the need to have v. nice to have? 2. Have we prioritized the need to haves? 3. Does the software company have referrals from customers who’s from the same industry as my company? While there may not be the perfect software that meets your requirements 100%, by understanding your needs v. wants and actual references, you can dial in a bit more to the best software to help your company overcome its most pressing demands.

Assuming that the company has robust processes and well-trained people. The software is only a support tool to facilitate day-to-day life and concentrate the company's information in one place. Which will facilitate the choice of software by evaluating the decision based on the company's processes and the investment cost.

Another criteria can be business seasonality and customer traffic, which can very much impact the cost. We should be thoughtful of annual sales cycle and related software needs.

Segun mi experiencia revisar cual es el sistema que mejor se ajusta a mis necesidades actuales y futuras por lo menos los siguientes 10 a?os

De acuerdo a los resultados probados comparar contra los resultados en otros negocios para evaluar si realmente es el sistema que requiero.

Assuming that the company has robust processes and well-trained people in supply chain. Even the users themselves will be able to guide the implementation, together with the software consultant, according to the processes and their needs. Updating data and parameters in the future, according to the reality of current circumstances.

Una vez que se implementa, comenzar a monitorear las variables para iniciar el proceso de mejora continua; así como valorar las variables que están entregando resultados

I will make my own software seeing the previous software drawbacks. I should be the one to bring the solution since I am the practitioner. For this, I have started learning how to code.